Intake selector system for engine oil circulating pump



March 17, 1970 v Q J. VOHL" 3,500,750

INTAKE SELECTOR SYSTEM FOR ENGINE OIL CIRCULATING PUMP Filed Sept. 16, 1968 INVENTOR lax/1'0 V062 AGENT United States Patent 1,151 Int. Cl. F04!) 13/00; B67tl 5/40 US. Cl. 103-2 7 Claims ABSTRACT 6F THE DISCLOSURE An engine oil circulating pump having dual intakes and a gravity-actuated selector for establishing communication of the lower one of the intakes with the pump depending on the inclination of the engine and of its oil sump.

The present invention relates to oil distributing systems in engines, more particularly internal combustion engines.

The present invention can be used in association with all types of engines in which the oil is circulated to the main shaft bearings and other elements by a pump, the intake of which is immersed in an oil bath contained in the pan or oil sump.

In most engines or motors, the bottom of the pan or oil sump comprises a lower level portion normally located towards the back of the engine.

The intake tube of the pump has its opening disposed in said lower level portion to insure a constant oil supply to the pump. This system is satisfactory in normal conditions in which the engine is submitted to small inclinations towards the front or back. However, the engines of olfroad vehicles, such as tractors and the like, are often submitted to an inclination angle, when the vehicles climb up or move down steep inclines, such that the oil in the pan becomes collected at either the front or the back of said pan and the oil pump intake tube is no longer immersed in the oil, thereby cutting off the oil supply to the pump with very damaging effects to the bearings and other parts of the engine.

In most engines of the internal combustion type, this limit angle is about 45 and may be even smaller if the amount of oil in the engine is below normal.

It has been proposed to overcome this disadvantage by providing two pumps: one having an intake at the back of the oil pan and the other at the front. This arrangement considerably increases the cost of the system and, moreover, the oil pan frequently does not provide enough room for accommodating two pumps.

The present invention provides a gravity-actuated selector which, in accordance with the engine inclination, selects between two oil intakes for the pump. Said 6il intakes are located at the front and back of the oil pan such as to ensure in a fool-proof and inexpensive manner a constant oil supply to the pump, independently of the motor inclination.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic side elevation, partially in longitudinal section, of an internal combustion engine and showing in elevation the selector system of the invention mounted inside the oil pan;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section of the oil pan, on an enlarged scale, shown inclined towards the back, this figure showing in elevation the selector system;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section of the selector itself inclined towards the front.

In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elements throughout.

The engine 10, shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, includes an oil pan 11, the bottom 12 of which has a lower level portion 13 located at the back of the oil pan.

An oil circulating pump 14 is mounted either inside the pan, as shown in FIGURE 2, or outside said pan, as shown in FIGURE 1.

A selector 15 is mounted inside pan 11 and comprises a cylindrical casing 16 provided with a tube 17 establishing communication between the inside of the casing 16 and the inlet of pump 14.

A head 18 is carried by each end of casing 16. Each head is in sealing engagement with the casing by means of an O-ring 19. The heads are retained in position by locking rings 20 which are split spring rings entering suitable annular grooves in casing 16.

The heads 18 can be rotated with respect to casing 16 during installation of the system, while preserving the fluid tightness of the assembly of the casing and heads.

The front head 18 has a lateral intake nipple 21 connected to an intake tube 21', which is provided at its end with a filter 22 located at the front of the oil pan 11 adjacent the bottom thereof.

The head 18 at the back of casing 16 has a lateral nipple 23 connected to an intake tube 23', the opening of which is provided with a filter 22 disposed at the back end of the oil pan 11.

The positions of the tubes 21 and 23 can be varied when installing the system by rotating heads 18.

Each head 18 houses a ball type valve including a ball 24 disposed within a tubular housing 25 integral with an inside base 26. Tubular housing 25 has lateral holes 27 and an axial hole 28 allowing free oil circulation at its outer end and houses a compression spring 29, which urges ball 24 in contact with a valve seat surrounding axial hole 30 made in base 26, to thus normally close the valve.

Base 26 of each valve is screwed in the respective head 18 and forms, inside casing 16 of the selector, an extension 31 which is provided with lateral holes 32 for the oil circulation and having an axial hole 33 aligned with hole 30 of base 26.

Inside casing 16 is located a weight 34, of generally cylindrical shape, with a stud shaft 35 at each end slidably supported in the respective guiding holes 33.

The end portion of each stud shaft 35 is longitudinally grooved to allow oil circulation around the stud shaft.

The distance between the ends of the two stud shafts 35 is greater than the distance between the two balls 24 when the latter are in valve closing position.

It is obvious that weight 34 moves under the action of gravity and that its lower level stud shaft will push the lower level ball 24 when the engine is inclined to thus open the valve on the lower side of the housing. At the same time, the valve on the upper side will close under the action of its associated spring 29.

When the engine is in substantially horizontal position, the weight 34 opens the valve 24 at the back of the selector housing 16, because the latter is secured within the oil pan in a position inclined towards the back and bottom, whereby the oil will be supplied from the lower level portion 13 of the oil pan 11.

If the engine is slightly inclined downwardly towards the front, thereby bringing the selector in substantially horizontal position, the weight 34 is momentarily in intermediate position, thereby opening both valves 24. The oil supplied to the pump in this case is effected from both ends of the oil pan 11, both of which, in said slightly inclined position, contain sufiicient oil.

With the system in accordance with the invention, the engine can never lack oil, even if inclined at towards the back or front.

What I claim is:

1. A selector system for the oil circulating pump of an :ngine having an oil sump and subjected to large inclina- :ions, comprising two intakes opening respectively at the Eront and back of the oil sump, an outlet connected to .the pump, a valve disposed between said outlet and each of said intakes, and gravity actuated means to open the valve associated with the lower lever intake and to close the valve associated with the upper level intake, each of said valves including a ball member spring urged into valve :losin-g position and said gravity actuated means including a weight arranged to alternately engage said ball members and push same into valve-opening position.

2. A selector system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two valves are in alignment and said weight is mounted between the same for slidable longitudinal movement in order to alternately act on said ball members.

3. A selector system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ends of said weight are at a greater distance than the distance separating said ball members to insure that there is always at least one valve open.

4. A selector system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the oil sump of the engine has a lower level portion and the axis of the slidable movement of the Weight is inclined downwardly in the direction of said lower level portion of said oil sump.

5. A selector system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the 5 oil sump of the engine has a lower level portion and the axis of the slidable movement of the weight is inclined downwardly in the direction of said lower level portion of said oil sump.

6. A selector system as claimed in claim 3, including an elongated casing, said outlet in communication with the inside of said casing intermediate the ends of the latter, head members closing the respective ends of said casing, said intakes in communication with the respective head members, said valves having their inlets within said casing and their outlets within said head members, said weight located inside said casing and axially aligned stud shafts protruding from said weight and supported by the inner ends of said valves for slidable movement therein and engagement with said ball members.

7. A selector as claimed in claim 6, wherein said head members are rotatable with respect to said casing and are in sealing engagement therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,512,830 10/1924 Dunlap 222376 X 1,845,136 2/1932 Dieter 222376 2,256,902 9/1941 Huthsing 222376 X 2,824,424 2/ 195 8 Sebenick 103-2 X 2,953,156 9/1960 Bryant 1035 X 3,319,574 5/1967 Carslaw 103-4 X WILLIAM L. FREEH, Primary Examiner W. J. KRAUSS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. XlR. 222376 

